U.S. activist says Egypt police assaulted her

Mar. 4, 2014
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by USA TODAY

by USA TODAY

CAIRO (AP) - The co-founder of U.S.-based anti-war group Code Pink says Egyptian police detained her at the airport when she tried to enter the country and assaulted her, fracturing her shoulder, as they handcuffed her before deporting her.

An Egyptian airport official denied any assault, speaking anonymously because he wasn't authorized to brief reporters.

Medea Benjamin says she was detained for hours at the airport upon arrival on route to Gaza as part of an international women's delegation. She says that when she refused to be deported without first meeting U.S. Embassy officials, police forced her into handcuffs, fracturing her shoulder. She was then put on a plane to Turkey.

She spoke from Istanbul, where she said she was kept without her passport until the next flight to the U.S.

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